Sio, Terence T.

Human monkeypox is a zoonotic Orthopoxvirus resembling smallpox in clinical course, making it difficult to distinguish it from smallpox and varicella. Laboratory diagnostics are critical components of illness identification and surveillance, and novel tests are required for more precise and quick diagnosis. The majority of human infections occur in Central Africa, where monitoring in remote regions with little infrastructure is challenging but may be performed using evidence-based methods and teaching materials that educate public health personnel on the fundamental principles of this infection. New medications and vaccinations showed promising results for the treatment and prevention of the disease, but more studies are required to show their efficacy in the actual endemic settings. Thus, more studies are needed on the virus's epidemiology, ecology, and biology in endemic locations to better understand and prevent human infections. This review discussed the etiology, epidemiology, and clinical course of the monkeypox and indicated diagnostic and treatment approaches for this disease.

AbstractThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) has various presentations, of which immune dysregulation or the so‐called cytokine storm syndrome (COVID‐CSS) is prominent. Even though cytokines are vital regulators of body immunoinflammatory responses, their exaggerated release can be harmful. This hyperinflammatory response is more commonly observed during severe COVID‐19 infections, caused by the excessive release of pro‐inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin‐1 (IL‐1), IL‐6, IL‐8, tumour necrosis factor, granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor, and interferon‐gamma, making their blockers and antagonists of great interest as therapeutic options in this condition. Thus, the pathophysiology of excessive cytokine secretion is outlined, and their most important blockers and antagonists are discussed, mainly focussing on tocilizumab, an interleukin‐6 receptor blocker approved to treat severe COVID‐19 infections.

Remdesivir has appeared to be the most effective medication against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and is broadly administered to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients around the world. Remdesivir is an RNA polymerase inhibitor with a broad spectrum of antiviral activities against RNA viruses in in-vitro and in-vivo models of SARS-CoV, the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and SARS-CoV-2. Remdesivir is the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved anti-SARS-CoV-2 treatment for adult and pediatric patients and has been used intravenously for patients requiring hospitalization for COVID-19. However, questions have been raised about the value of remdesivir in treating COVID-19, and governing bodies worldwide have been hesitant to approve this medication. Nevertheless, in the context of the public health emergency and the urgent need for effective treatments for patients with COVID-19, remdesivir has been approved by several authorities worldwide. Here, we discuss characteristics and applications of remdesivir, and various challenging studies with different outcomes about its efficacy are also reviewed.

Objectives: The current study aimed to compare the efficacy of the two different prophylactic antibiotic regimens (2-days vs. 7-days) in preventing surgical site infection in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods : Patients undergoing CABG were included in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. From 2016 to 2017, 370 cases were allocated to one of two groups. The groups received prophylactic antibiotic therapy for either 2-days or 7-days. All CABG patients were followed for days for surgical site infections. Two of the patients died after surgery, and 3 patients did not show up during the three-month follow-up evaluation and thus did not meet the study criteria. Results: Of the remaining 365 patients who participated in the full study, 198 (54.2%) were male, and 167 (45.7%) were female patients. The mean age of these cases was 58.64± 11.4. Of the 365 study participants who received prophylactic antibiotics prior to surgery, 16 patients developed surgical site infections (legs and sternum). Among these 16 patients, nine cases belong to the 7-days prophylactic antibiotic therapy group (2.4%), and seven cases belong to the 2-day prophylactic antibiotic therapy group (1.9%) (P=0.771). Conclusion: Comparison of two 2-day and 7-day prophylactic antibiotic regimens showed no significant difference in the incidence of post-surgical infection in the two groups.

Although severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has caused many complications, the invention of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines has also brought about several adverse events, from common side effects to unexpected and rare ones. Common vaccine-related adverse reactions manifest locally or systematically following any vaccine, including Covid-19 vaccines. Certain side effects, known as adverse events of special interest (AESI), are unusual and need more evaluation. Here, we discuss some of the most important rare adverse events of Covid-19 vaccines.

AbstractDespite advancements in local‐regional and systemic therapies, non‐small cell cancer (NSCLC) remains a leading cause of death worldwide. Among those treated with standard‐of‐care modalities, 30–60% experience disease recurrence. Carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT) is a form of densely ionizing radiotherapy with unique physical and biological advantages over traditional photon and proton modalities. CIRT is expected to have a superior biological impact on tumors, and is believed to be less impacted by the presence of tumor hypoxia or cell cycle state. It also shows highly conformal physical dose deposition due to reduced lateral scattering of the particles, limiting the radiation dose delivered to adjacent organs at risk. To implement CIRT as a viable option in the treatment of NSCLC, technical aspects of treatment delivery – including appropriate beam arrangements, dose calculation algorithms, radiobiological models, and methods of motion management – must be thoroughly investigated. Furthermore, randomized clinical trials comparing CIRT versus traditional radiation modalities must be performed to show the benefits and risks associated with this novel treatment modality. This review discusses the rationale for utilizing CIRT in NSCLC, available clinical data to date, and the potential for future investigations that may pave the path for improving outcomes in those diagnosed with NSCLC.

methamphetamine (MA) has a similar structure to amphetamine which can induce a wide range of symptoms, including alertness, aggressive behavior, chest pain, psychosis, seizures, developed by the psychomotor system stimulation. This case specifically discusses prolonged severe MA intoxication induced by a novel and unique way of the drug’s ingestion.

Abstract Background 5- Fluorouracil (5-FU) is one of the most common chemotherapeutic agents used in treating solid tumors, and the 5-FU-induced cardiotoxicity is the second cause of cardiotoxicity induced by chemotherapeutic drugs. Propolis (Pro) has vigorous anti-inflammatory activity. Its cardio-protective characteristic against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity was previously proven. The current study aimed to appraise the effect of Pro on 5-FU-induced cardiotoxicity in rats. Methods Twenty-four male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: Control, 5-FU, 5-FU + Pro 250 mg/kg, and 5-FU + Colchicine (CLC) 5 mg/kg. Different hematological, serological, biochemical, histopathological, and molecular assays were performed to assess the study aim. Moreover, rat myocardium (H9C2(2 − 1)) and human skin fibroblast (HNFF-P18) cell lines were also used to assess this protective effect in-vitro. Results 5-FU resulted in significant cardiotoxicity represented by an increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) expression, cardiac enzyme levels, and histopathological degenerations. 5-FU treatment also decreased bodyweight, total anti-oxidant capacity (TAC), catalase (CAT) levels, blood cell counts, and hemoglobin (Hb) levels. In addition, 5-FU disrupted ECG parameters, including increased elevation in the ST-segment and increased QRS complex and QTc duration. Treating with Pro reduced oxidative stress, cardiac enzymes, histopathological degenerations, and COX-2 expression in cardiac tissue alleviated ECG disturbances and increased the number of blood cells and TAC levels. Moreover, 5-FU-induced bodyweight loss was ameliorated after treatment with Pro. Conclusion Our results demonstrated that treatment with Pro significantly improved cardiotoxicity induced by 5-FU in rats.